Headlines

On Wednesday, September 21st the world will be celebrating International Peace Day. This day was founded in 1999 by a filmmaker named Jeremy Gilley. His goal was to have a global day of peace and non-violence, where countries all over the world agree to get along. The World Cultures teachers will be working on a “Peace Quilt” that will contain a “patch” made by each of the students signifying what peace means to them. The quilt will be displayed in the school on September 21st along with a Peace Pledge that the students will recite. We are asking you and your students wear blue on Wednesday, September 21st in honor of International Peace Day. We have also attached a copy of the “Peace Pledge” for you. Click the title to read more.

A team representing Franklin School recently earned Highest Honors in the 2015-16 WordMasters Challenge™—a national vocabulary competition involving nearly 150,000 students annually. The fifth grade team scored an impressive 172 points out of a possible 200 in the last of three meets this year, placing seventh in the nation. There were 378 teams enrolled. Click the title to read more.

Franklin School fifth grade student Ryan Raymundo achieved a perfect score in the third meet of the WordMasters Challenge. So far this year, only 26 fifth graders have achieved this accomplishment in the entire nation! The WordMasters Challenge is an exercise in critical thinking that first encourages students to become familiar with a set of interesting new words (considerably harder than grade level), and then challenges them to use those words to complete analogies expressing various kinds of logical relationships. Working to solve the analogies helps students learn to think both analytically and metaphorically.

The faculty and staff at Franklin School are proud to announce our 2015-2016 Teacher of the Year: Mr. Erik Olson. Mr. Olson is one of our fifth grade teachers, and he exhibits on a daily basis the following quote; “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” Mr. Olson’s class is always full of energy with enthusiastic students owning their learning. He exemplifies a love for learning that is duplicated by his students. He has developed a bond with the students and parents, and this bond has assisted him in helping the students succeed. He knows that students are first and foremost and this is why he was voted the Teacher of the Year at Franklin Elementary School.

Congratulations to Franklin School fourth grade teacher Ms. Katherine VIllone who has been announced as a winner of the national LifeChanger of the Year Award. Ms. Villone was selected from 600 nominees from 49 states and is New Jersey’s first and only winner. The award seeks to recognize outstanding educators who make a real difference in the lives of their students. Students, past and present, as well as parents and colleagues gathered on Friday afternoon, April 17 to honor Ms. Villone as the award was announced. Reverend Ralph Fiorelli and Bergenfield Mayor Norman Schmelz were in attendance and offered words of congratulations.

Franklin School students and faculty are observing this school year as a Year of Kindness. Several activities have already taken place including all students and faculty taking a Kindness Pledge. The entire school also traced their hands which were hung in the Main Hallway along with the Kindness Pledge. Pictured here are students Amanda Reynoso and Jessica Sanchez and faculty members Mrs. Christine LaMotta and Ms. Katherine Villone who were instrumental in conceiving and bringing the project to fruition.

Our Franklin School parents, students and faculty collected a Jeep load of nonperishable foods on the evening of Open House in response to a plea from Emmanuel Church in Hackensack. This outpouring of generosity was coordinated by our student service club, Operation Helping Hands. Food pantries often receive large donations of food around the holidays but their cupboards are often bare during the summer when so many people are on vacation. This amazing amount of food was greatly appreciated by the personnel at Emmanuel Church. For each item of food donated, donors were given a raffle chance for a tremendous chrysanthemum plant which was displayed at Open House. The winner of the plant was Mrs. Monica Moyeno.

In the immediate aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, Franklin School students Angelica Caraig, Angeline Joseph and their faculty liaison, Ms. Kathy Villone, developed a plan to bring quick relief to the storm’s victims. Click the title to learn more.